Abacus Branded Fares with Malaysia Airlines. In the first phase of the Branded Fares with Malaysia Airlines launch, travel agents in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei will have access to the brand of fare families for Malaysia Airlines on the Abacus GDS system for the routes within and between these markets.

Airlines Responding to IT Security Concerns according to SITA Survey. According to the security survey, airlines are responding to these challenges by creating dedicated security management teams which are now operational at 63% of the respondent airlines, up from 55% in 2006. There is also a significant shift to using the specialist services of third parties with outsourcing as a

Japan’s third largest airline, Skymark Airlines, has taken delivery of the first two Airbus A330-300s out of a total of ten on lease. Skymark Airlines’ A330s, configured with 271 seats, will start scheduled flights in April 2014 from Tokyo Haneda to Fukuoka. Skymark Airlines has also announced plans for A330-300 services from Tokyo Haneda to Sapporo and Naha at a later date.

Air China and Shanghai Airlines join Star Alliance. Air China and Shanghai Airlines, formally joined Star Alliance at a recent ceremony held in the new Terminal Three at Beijing Capital International Airport. With the addition of the two Chinese airlines, Star Alliance now has 19 member carriers operating 17,000 daily flights to 897 destinations in 160 countries.

China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines to offer Lunar New Year Charter Flights. A total of 16 round trip flights to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou have been arranged, including eight charters on the Taoyuan - Shanghai - Taoyuan route, two on theTaoyuan - Beijing - Taoyuan route, four on the Taoyuan - Guangzhou - Taoyuan route, and two on the Kaohsiung - Shanghai - Kaohsiung route.

Starting 1 August 2012, members of Etihad Airways’ Etihad Guest and Czech Airlines’ OK Plus frequent flyer programs will be able to earn and redeem miles on all Etihad Airways and Czech Airlines flights. The move builds on the successful 18-destination codeshare relationship which the two flag carriers launched in June 2011, and follows Czech Airlines’ re-introduction of direct Pra

Singapore Airlines and SilkAir customers travelling between Singapore and Shenzhen now have a choice of two daily flights, as a result of a new codeshare agreement with Shenzhen Airlines. Under the agreement, SIA will add its ‘SQ’ code and subsidiary SilkAir will add its ‘MI’ code to Shenzhen Airlines-operated flights between Singapore and Shenzhen.